Sandhya’s Real Sister, Vatsala Deshmukh

Some time back, I saw information on a couple of sites, including Cineplot (via an old, reprinted article), which said that V. Shantaram’s third wife, Sandhya, was the sister of his second wife, Jayashree. It seemed a little strange to me, but considering that the story about V. Shanataram and his three wives always seemed strange anyway, I thought, OK, why not? But from some recent investigation (as well as a comment that appeared below that article at Cineplot), it became apparent to me that this was never true. Unfortunately, I know I have made at least one reference in this blog to that strange situation that never really existed, and at some point I will have to try to root out that reference (wherever it is) and any others that might have occurred. But in the meantime, to set the record straight…

Sandhya’s real older sister was named Vatsala Deshmukh, and I believe she performs the lovely mujra below, which was in the film Toofan Aur Diya.

Vatsala also was in other V. Shantaram-produced films, including at least two that he directed, Navrang, and (as Harvey pointed out to me), Pinjra (which I also reviewed here several years ago). In that film, Vatsala actually played the older sister of Sandhya’s character, too.

Vatsala also had a daughter who became a pretty famous Marathi actress, Ranjana Deshmukh. Unfortunately, after some success in films in the ’60s to the ’80s, Ranjana ran into a lot of bad luck, including getting into a very bad car accident in 1987 and having a lethal heart attack in 2000. But Vatsala and Sandhya are still both alive – at least according to all the information that I have seen (knock on whatever) – and hopefully, they can still get in touch with each other at least once in a while to talk about interesting family memories.

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14 comments on “Sandhya’s Real Sister, Vatsala Deshmukh”

Hi Richard, I am trying to get in touch with Sandhya ji. I am a dentist and we are conducting the fifth BITEIN Awards for the dental profession on the 13th of Dec, 2014. As part of the program we shall be doing an act on the great music of V.Shantaram films. I want to invite her as a guest of honor for the program. If you have any connections I would be very grateful to have them in order to reach out to Sandhya ji.

Ajay, sorry for the long time in responding… I was hoping someone else might offer a suggestion. Unfortunately, I don’t have any such connections.

I have read that Sandhya doesn’t make public appearances often. In fact, her appearance at an awards show in 2009 (which I also wrote about a while back) was mentioned as being “rare.” So maybe that is why nobody knows how to reach her to invite her to things. :) But maybe she’s been out and around more in the past few years. (It seems unlikely, but…who knows?)

If anybody reading this knows how to get in touch with Sandhya or Vatsala, please send along all these messages. :)

Unfortunately, Jayashree has been deceased for eleven years.

I wouldn’t know how to meet any of these people.

By the way, I find it curious sometimes that some people have such a strong desire to personally meet their favorite people from the cinema (or their favorite music stars, etc.). I am usually content with having seen their dances or their acting and/or having heard their singing… It is nice to see a good interview sometimes, too, to get some insights. But I often don’t feel as though meeting these people personally will enhance my appreciation of their work. Sometimes, it might actually hinder it. :)

I live in the U.S., and the only chance in recent memory that I had to meet a favorite star from the Indian cinema was when I almost went with a couple of other bloggers to meet Kamala Lakshman Narayan about a year ago… But I didn’t have good questions prepared, and it would have involved a fairly long trip on the commuter rail (which I wasn’t feeling up to), and I figured the other two would cover the interview well enough, so I bailed out. I have no regrets… I still like watching her dances, and I don’t think meeting her would have made any difference whatsoever where that is concerned. :)

P.S. On the other hand, it could be nice to have a few meetings with a star to the point where you actually know her or him. (That’s assuming the person turns out to be nice and not some diva/egomaniac. LOL I’ve actually known people who were minor music stars here in the U.S., and the range of personality can be great – but they often can be quite complicated!) But anyway… For one meeting, just to say “I’m a big fan”? The idea never really appeals to me all that much. But maybe that’s because I’m an introvert.

Ranjana Deshmukh was truly one of the most sought after stars of her time. Not only did she set the screen on fire with her impeccable comic timing, she also had the rare talent to do emotional roles with equal panache and conviction. The handful of Marathi heroines that were on the horizon at the time mostly played the submissive, the ever sacrificial woman and probably that is why Ranjana’s entry was akin to a breath of fresh air. In the roles partaken by her, she was the hero’s equal (there are stories of her getting paid more than the hero!). Given her histrionic abilities, roles were written for her where the heroine was not a mere prop. In many ways, Ranjana can be credited to changing the face of the Marathi heroine. Essaying varied characters in a short span of time and giving one jubilee hit after the other, Ranjana – the star, shone bright.
While she blazed the marquee with her performances, in real life, she warmed hearts by being herself – a kind, genuine and happy soul. I have heard stories of her largesse where she would go all out to help even the ancillary staff/technicians. But life unfortunately turned on a dime for this doyen. Her romance with her co star Ashok Saraf came to an abrupt end after the accident in ‘87 that maimed her and paralysed her waist down. It is said that her injuries were this severe as she took impulsive decision to save her makeup man’s kid (who was traveling with them in the ill fated car) instead of looking out for herself.
I have hazy memories of reading an article about her in the magazine Savvy (90’s) where she recounted her life thus far. What is most touching is that her optimism and zest for life were untouched despite living through every single day in utmost agony. It is said that she would visit patients who faced similar ordeals such as her and keep them in good spirits. The one regret that I shall always have is that I did not start a conversation with her when I bumped into her in ’97. The excuse that I was an awestruck gangly teenager at the time offers very little solace. I have been researching the net for years now to get my hand on any more information about my favorite leading lady but most of my efforts have come to a naught. It would have been nice to connect with someone who knew her personally.
On Vatsala Deshmukh, it was just yesterday that she made a rare appearance on this show “Chala Hawa yeu dya” on Zee Marathi. Even at age 87, the twinkle in Vatsala ji’s eyes is unmistakable when she talks about Pinjra and about V Shantaram. It was an extremely emotional moment for me and when the tears surreptitiously flowed through my eyes, I didn’t stop them. This was one of the reasons I was browsing through when I came across your blog!

You will always live in the hearts of your countless fans Ranjana….They don’t make ‘em like you anymore!

Thank you so much that heartfelt, detailed and dramatic account of the talents and life of Ranjana Deshmukh! I wouldn’t know what to add to that… I must look more into her life and work some day.

Regarding your regrets about not starting a conversation with her, I don’t see that as anything you should blame yourself for or even necessarily regret. You greatly appreciate her work and learned a great deal about her, which increased your appreciation. A conversation might or might not have improved upon the good work that you had already done.

There was a time when I could blame myself for not taking the chance to converse with artists whose work I admired, but I think it was more due to what I thought people would expect of me than my own true inclinations. I am naturally introverted and I know that I succeed much more at thinking and writing about artists, musicians, actors, etc., than I do at actually meeting these people and talking to them. :)

The chances of my meeting a star from classic Indian films are pretty slim, since I live in New York. But, of course, a few did come over here… I almost met Kamala Lakshman Narayan a couple of years ago, when I met up with two other bloggers who were visiting my city who were on the way up to talk to her. But I felt unprepared – had never quite gotten any good interview questions together, nor collaborated with the other bloggers – and it was a long-ish train ride to the suburb where Kamala was meeting them, so I skipped it. I actually have no regrets, since I have appreciated her dances enough and probably know all that I need to know about her.

I have personally known some people who had a few minutes of fame in the world of pop or rock music in my part of the world. I used to be a rock music critic and spent time in “alternative rock” circles. Am I better off for those experiences? I can’t really decide. :)

Anyway, I digress… But the point is, with an actor, dancer, musician, artist, etc., it is the creative work that counts; that is why we are drawn to them. If we find things in their life stories that enhance that appreciation, that’s great. But if you have a chance to meet such a person and you don’t interact, is that a reason to kick yourself? I don’t think so. You’ve already greatly enjoyed that person’s work and her story, too; the actual meeting and conversation might be somewhat beside the point.

Regarding Vatsala… It is great to see that information about her. It’s good to know that she is so alive and well at age 87.

I would like to learn more about Sandhya and find out more about how she is doing and what she’s up to now. Do I need to meet her and talk to her? I don’t know… It could be rather strange. (Just kidding there – I am sure she is a very nice person and not as strange as some of the characters she’s played. LOL But my point still applies, even in that case.)

Regarding Sandhya, her last chronicled public outing was in 2009 at the V Shantaram awards. I believe she rarely steps out. Truth be told, I found her acting too over the top/strange for my liking
but she overcompensates her lack of subtlety in acting with her hard work and dedication for the dance form (not to say that she wasn’t a hard working actor). Boy…could she dance! Her work is so sincere that it shines through some of the most bizarre dances that have been canned on the celluloid.

The husband wife duo have to be credited for giving the audiences some remarkable and memorable songs/dances that were truly ahead of their times.

As for Sandhya the person. Here’s a link to an article written by V Shantaram’s daughter who is married to the musical maestro Pandit Jasraj. Even that one para on Sandhya speaks volumes of her as a person.

B, thanks for providing more interesting thoughts, as well as for the article and clip. The article on Sandhya is both informative and sweet. Sandhya has a few detractors, even among readers here. Some complained about her dancing, too. I think her dancing is very enjoyable. Though not an expert in the classical sense, she was always very creative and original and impressively energetic – even when well into her 40s. She also did a fine job at classical dancing in Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, considering the limited amount of time she’d had to learn kathak. I have sometimes found her acting to be quite good, too. She is not a consistently great actress (yes, she could overdo some things), but I’ve been moved by her performances, and I think she is underrated.

I do know about the appearance at the awards show that she made in 2009. In fact, I blogged about it:

Hi everyone!, I am also a great fan of Sandhya ji & off-course late Dr. Shantaram, the great Indian film maker. I once tried to meet Sandhya ji in Rajkamal studio but could not. I think somewhere I read that her original name was Vijaya Deshmukh. If any one of u get any information about her public meeting in advance,, pl. share it.

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